Heck of a Morning: Who will Islam Makhachev, Ilia Topuria face in next title defenses?

With huge fights on the horizon — most notably the UFC 300 “BMF” title fight between Justin Gaethje and Max Holloway — it leads to a lot of questions in regard to who lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and new featherweight champion Ilia Topuria will face when they put their titles on the line in their next outings.

On an all-new edition of Heck of a Morning, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck discusses what could be next for both champions, and if the Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis fight could play a role in determining Makhachev’s next opponent. Additionally, listener topics include UFC Vegas 87, the UFC APEX as a Fight Night arena for the promotion, who Alexandre Pantoja could defend his flyweight title against at UFC 301 if Muhammad Mokaev loses to Alex Perez on Saturday, and more.

You can listen live to Heck of a Morning Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays at 10 a.m. ET on the MMA Fighting Twitter Spaces.

If you miss it live, audio-only versions of the podcast can be found below, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and wherever you find your favorite podcasts.